Abstract
This study theorizes social innovation-based transitions to sustainable urban development from the perspective of the African urban condition, highlighting that large infrastructure and service provision deficits, poverty, inequality, heavy import dependence and the prevalence of dual formal–informal sector systems are key factors to account for in a just, sustainable urban African developmental transition. It identifies an opportunity space that can be leveraged for urban and broader transitions to sustainability on the continent by leveraging “economic ecosystems” for local scale social innovation-based development interventions. It theorizes that multi-level transitions to sustainability can be engendered by adopting an entrepreneurial state led approach at local scales by using economic ecosystems as the framework to (1) stimulate social innovation-based entrepreneurship that meets local and local–regional demands through decentralized, low cost, small-scale infrastructures, technologies and services, (2) leverage social innovation-based economic ecosystems for catalyzing multi-scalar transitions to sustainability, (3) recast the role of the entrepreneurial state, specifically in relation to social innovation and sustainable urban development (SUD) in Africa and (4) bridge formal–informal sector dualism. This framing prioritizes local economic development over centralized, state-led interventions that involve grand-scale masterplans, wholly new satellite cities and bulk infrastructure deployments in conceptualizing sustainable urban development transitions in Africa.
Highlights
Allan Gray Centre for Values-Based Leadership, Graduate School of Business, Faculty of Commerce, Citation: Peter, C
This study explores the African urban condition to help diagnose what kind of sustainability transition is required in the African context and what role social innovation can play in catalyzing transition
This study argues that the potential for boosting social innovation through new technologies and systems solutions in sustainable urban development (SUD) in Africa is even higher when considering the convergence between green technologies and fourth industrial revolution offerings
Summary
“The state must lead the process of industrial development, by developing strategies for technological advance in priority areas. Economic ecosystems established in small to intermediate sized cities—which draw on both green/sustainable solutions and fourth industrial revolution offerings to innovate context-specific offerings (i.e., products and services)—act as distributed “engines” of social innovation and local economic diversification that cumulatively drives national and regional-scale economic diversification trajectories This framing, in turn, helps elucidate the role of the entrepreneurial state in actualizing. The role of the entrepreneurial state is to shape SUD transitions in Africa through directing, building and supporting local economic ecosystems that foster social innovation for SUD at the appropriate scales, for the targets identified and in the modes stipulated in this study This includes managing the complexity of hybrid topdown bottom-up participation, protecting the interests of the marginal majority poor and maintaining a focus on scaling for sustainability at broader scales. While the study draws on Africa-wide data and findings for pragmatic reasons relating to data availability, the approach that is developed in this study is mainly directed at Sub-Saharan African cities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
